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Open Research: The complete data set is available as Supporting Information and are also available in Figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14938437 Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ca. 26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated to habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of Azores and Madeira that includes 107,852 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (42%), sign surveys (38%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radio-tracking and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: 1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, 2) capture, 3) colony, 4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, 5) genetic confirmation, 6) inquiries, 7) observation of live animal, 8), observation in shelters, 9) photo trapping | video, 10), predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, 11) scat | track | ditch, 12) telemetry and 13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n = 34,754) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,858), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,679), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 6,400). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus (n = 12,407), Monachus monachus (n = 1512), and Lynx pardinus (n = 197)]. We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets which would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Several studies suggest that species' mortality rates are positively related with local population abundances. Because owls have shown both high road mortality rates and road avoidance behaviours, we hypothesize that road-kill likelihood is not always directly linked to their occurrence. In this study, we examined the relationship between the likelihood of species occurrence in the vicinity of major roads and the road-kill risk for barn owls Tyto alba, tawny owls Strix aluco and little owls Athene noctua. Specifically, we address: (1) the role of road-related features on spatial patterns of species' occurrence and road kills; (2) the composition of road kills and their distribution throughout the year; (3) the relationship between species' occurrence likelihood and mortality risk. Our findings show that changes in movement patterns is probably the main behavioural mechanism that threatens owls in roaded landscapes. The high mortality risk of barn owls in autumn and winter seasons, after the peak of dispersal period, provides support for the hypotheses of expanding movements because of lack of food. However, mortality because of high occurrence likelihood seems to also explain tawny owls' response towards roads. The high occurrence likelihood of little owls combined with low mortality rate also suggests avoidance of road crossings. Although, it is clear that within species there is variation according to age- and territory-holding status, closely related species have different sensitivities to roads as a function of their varying food preferences. We believe that linking species distribution with mortality risk may be more effective in focus conservation efforts. Therefore, we suggest measures should be applied to reduce prey availability close to roads and in road verges. This is particularly important for barn owls, for which foraging in the vicinity of roads during the cold season is especially risky.